Shallow Graves

another folder out before deciding on a third. He returned to the desk and laid the file on it, but in front of his chair, not mine. Settling into his seat, he opened it, scanned a cover sheet, then looked up at me.
    “Tell you what. Cuddy.“
    “What?“
    “I’ll feed it to you. Like they do with the little chunks of fish at the Aquarium.“
    “The Aquarium.“
    “Yeah. I’ll toss you a little chunk, and then you make like a seal and catch it in the air and clap for yourself. What do you say?“
    I drew in a long breath, thought again about Mullen’s goofy kid with no teeth, and took out a pad and pen. “Fine.“
    “First off, the girl, she gets it on the top floor of a three-story in the South End. She’s supposed to be going to a party downstairs, then they’re going out afterwards somewhere.“
    “Who’s hosting the party?“
    “Another model, name of Sinead something or other.“ Holt pronounced the name the Irish way, Shuh -nade. Probably thanks to the rock singer. “Only after this Mau Tim doesn’t show on time, they go looking and find her Dee-Oh-Ef.“
    “DOF?“
    “ ‘Dead on floor.’ “
    Maybe the humorectomy didn’t take. “Who’s ‘they’?“
    “This Sinead character and two guys. One’s a Jap, ad exec over on Newbury, first block and very upscale. The other’s a black guy, photographer.“
    “Names?“
    Holt seemed to think about that, then said, “Sure.“ Skipping ahead in the file, he said, “The Jap, Larry Shinkawa.“
    “That’s S-H-I-N-K-A-W-A?“
    “Right. The colored guy’s Oscar Puriefoy.“
    “Can you spell that one for me?“
    Holt did.
    I said, “How about Sinead’s last name?“
    “She’s with the same modeling agency as the dead girl. How many ‘Sineads’ can they have?“
    Holt was enjoying this. I said, “Go on.“
    He read some more of the file. “Like I was saying, they go up to look for this Mau Tim and have to break down her door. They find the body crumped on the floor, nice shade of blue. This Shinkawa checks the fire escape.“
    “Fire escape?“
    “Yeah. He figured that’s how the perp got out of there.“
    “How’d the killer get in?“
    Holt looked at me. “Same way, it’s a Break and Entry.“ He went back into the folder. “Then this Puriefoy tries CPR on the; girl, but her throat’s crushed from the perp’s hands, so that did about as much fucking good as an enema.“
    I looked at Holt, but he was still in the jacket. Homicide hardens you after a while, but this wasn’t hardness or even gallows humor. This was Holt having fun with me in a way nobody should enjoy.
    “Can you back up a little, Lieutenant?“
    The face rose. “Huh?“
    “Did the guy who checked the fire escape see anything?“
    No.
    “We know who had keys to the place?“
    “No. How come you ain’t clapping, all these little chunks I’m: throwing you?“
    I took another breath. “The people downstairs at the party didn’t hear any kind of struggle upstairs?“
    “How the hell... Oh, I see what you mean. No, Cuddy, the girl was killed on the top floor of the house, and the party was on the first floor.“
    “Who lives on the second?“
    “Nobody. Family just keeps it furnished, case somebody wants to stay over.“
    “The dead girl’s family?“
    Holt smiled. “Yeah.“
    “You talk with them?“
    “Not much. Just with the uncle. Dani, Vincent.“
    The landlord name in the application for the policy. “How about mother and father?“
    Holt’s smile broadened. “I think I’ll let you go for that on your own.“
    Swell. “When did all this happen?“
    “Week ago Friday.“
    “Time of day?“
    “The call to 911 was 7:45.“
    “Quarter to eight on a Friday night in April. Kind of an odd time for a B & E.“
    “Used to be. Now we get them during Thanksgiving fucking dinner.“
    “One of the chunks I’m supposed to catch wouldn’t be any leads you’ve got?“
    “No leads to throw. Cuddy. We got a dead girl and part of a necklace near the body.“
    “Necklace.“
    “Fancy fucking thing. Purple stones.“
    “Amethyst?“
    “No. The uncle called it ‘iolite.’ “
    “Never heard of it.“
    “Me neither. Looks like the girl maybe surprised the perp as he’s going through the jewelry box. They fight over the necklace, and it breaks, him getting away with most of it and a couple of other things the uncle knew she used to have.“
    “How do I get the uncle?“
    “Lawyer, downtown firm.“
    “Number?“
    “Let your fingers do